The invention relates generally to electrical connectors, and particularly to a socket contact for receiving a mating pin in an electrical connector.
Various types of electrical connectors are known and are in use in devices such as sensors, electrical power supplies and circuit boards. For example, an electrical connector having a socket contact and a mating pin may be employed to provide electrical contacts in such devices. In certain electrical connectors, the socket contact may include two socket leaves to receive the mating pin within the socket contact. Typically, a substantially high contact force is applied during assembly of the electrical connector to minimize electrical resistance, thereby inducing high stresses in the socket leaves. In general, proper socket operation occurs below a yield point of the socket material. However, tight manufacturing tolerances may be required for the parts of the connector to maintain stresses within the connector below a yield point of the socket material. As a result, costs of manufacturing of such electrical connectors may be substantial.
Typically, the electrical connectors may be formed with tight manufacturing tolerances to account for the deflection of the socket leaves. Further, in certain electrical connectors, specially formulated alloys may be employed for the socket material to ensure that the stresses are maintained within the yield limit of the material. In certain other electrical connectors, a contact force applied to the connector is adjusted to limit the deflection of the socket contact. However, such connectors with lower contact forces may have reduced thermal performance and may not be suitable for certain applications.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to develop an electrical connector that delivers high clamping force while maintaining stresses in the connector within the yield limit. It would be advantageous to provide a socket contact that enables the stresses in the socket to be within a yield limit of the socket material regardless of the tolerance stack-up of the electrical connector.